Iowa announces football schedule through 2016

IOWA CITY (UI) — The University of Iowa’s Big Ten Conference football schedules have been announced for the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Schedules for all 12 league schools were released earlier this week by the Big Ten Conference.

The league slate has Iowa opening conference play with a home game in each of the two seasons. The Hawkeyes will not play Indiana, Ohio State or Wisconsin either year. Iowa does not play Ohio State, Illinois and Wisconsin this year and won’t play Illinois, Indiana or Penn State in 2013-14.

Iowa opens the 2015 league schedule Oct. 3 and 10 with successive home games against Northwestern and Michigan State. Road contests at Purdue and Minnesota follow. Illinois and Michigan are the other Big Ten home games in 2015. Other league road contests are Penn State and Nebraska. The open week is Nov. 14.

The Hawkeyes open at home against Minnesota on Oct. 1, 2016. Other home games that year include Purdue, Penn State and Nebraska. League road games include Michigan State, Northwestern, Illinois and Michigan. The bye week is Nov. 12.

The Nebraska games are currently set for Saturday dates, following Thanksgiving, in the 2013-16 time frame. That could change. The Iowa and Nebraska athletic directors will meet following this year’s game at Kinnick Stadium to determine if a Friday game, following Thanksgiving, is still in the best interests of both schools.